


It Can't Rain All the Time

by pebbles403



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward First Times, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Sexual Situations, Depression, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/M, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Physical Abuse, Romance, Sad and Happy, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-02 01:33:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8646706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pebbles403/pseuds/pebbles403
Summary: Ivey Roxanne Adams is the new girl in school. Her dad moved her entire family to the outskirts of Chicago from Oklahoma. She's not happy about the move. How will she deal with making new friends in a new town? (High School AU. Pete and Andy are only one year older than Joe and Patrick.)





	1. The Day We Met Part 1

Ivey looked up at the school in front of her. She was not happy about having to start all over in a new place. Her father had gotten a new job and moved the family halfway across the country. She missed her friends, her old school and of course, her boyfriend. Her parents didn't know about Matt, so she couldn't complain about moving away from him. This was going to suck so bad. Her Junior year of high school and she had to essentially start all over.

She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't see the boy running in her direction. The two collided at high speed, sending them both crashing to the ground. People around them just laughed and taunted him. "Look out where you're going nerd! You're gonna kill someone ya freak!"

The boy who crashed into Ivey looked up. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

Ivey smiled at him as they picked their things up. "It's okay. I was kinda spaced out. I'm Ivey. I'm new here."

The boy peered at her through his glasses. "I'm Patrick. I live across the street from you actually. Your dad's the new minister for the Methodist church down the road isn't he?"

"Yeah. We just moved here from Oklahoma."

"That sucks. You had to leave your home and friends huh?"

"That would be correct. It really sucks being the new girl right at the end of high school."

"What grade are you?"

"Junior."

"Cool, me too! Well sorry again for running in to you. I've got to get going. See ya around!"

"See ya!"

Ivey watched Patrick's retreating form and smiled. At least she had made one friend today. She looked at her watch; if she didn't find the office soon, she was going to be late. She looked around and saw another boy heading her way. He had reddish-brown hair down to his shoulders and a facial piercing. She waved him down. "Excuse me! Do you mind showing me where the office is?"

He looked up at her. "Sure. Follow me." He said in a soft voice. "You must be new here. I'm Andy."

"Ivey, and yes I am. Love your labret piercing."

"Thanks. My mom is pretty laid back, so she let me get it a few weeks ago. Here's the office. See you around!"

"Thanks Andy!"

After she left the office, she ran down the hallway to English. She got lost twice, so she was just barely late as she walked into the classroom. She spoke to the teacher quietly and he pointed her to a chair in the back next to a blonde boy who looked like he was still asleep. She sat down and the boy leaned over. "Hey, do you have a pencil I could borrow?"

"First day of school and you don't have a pencil?" She asked amused.

"Nah. I'd rather be playing my guitar right now to be completely honest."

She handed him a pencil. "Musician huh? Cool."

"So what's your name?"

"Ivey."

"Nice name. I'm Joe."

"Pleasure to meet you Joe."

"The pleasure's all mine. Let me see your schedule." She handed him the slip of paper. "Nice! We have Music Appreciation together. Oh and Calculus! Awesome I need a new math buddy."

"I'm really not good at math. Much more of a History and English buff."

"That's cool. Hey! You've got Home Ec and Biology with a couple of my band mates."

"I'll be sure to let them know."

"No need. You and I have the same lunch period. You can meet them before class. Wow! How'd you get in the Seniors' History class?"

"Told you I'm good at History."

"Our drummer and bassist are Seniors. Lucky bastards. I can't wait to get out of this place and just be on the road. We're gonna be famous!"

"I'll be on the lookout for your debut album." She said chuckling.

"Mister Trohman, Miss Adams! Do you mind sharing with the class?"

"Uh no Mr. Johnson. I was just borrowing a pencil from Ivey."

"Well since you are now prepared for class, do you mind paying attention?"

"Yes sir!" Joe smiled at Ivey and turned to the front of the room. A little while later, the bell rang and Joe walked Ivey out. He showed her where her History class was and promised to meet her at her locker before lunch. She walked into History class and saw Andy. She quickly took the seat next to him.

"Hey stranger."

"Hey Ivey. I thought you would be in a different class. This is Senior History after all."

"I know. It's the one advanced class that I'm in. Looks good on a college application."

"True. Well maybe we can eat lunch together."

"I'd love to Andy, but I'm eating lunch with a guy named Joe from my English class."

"Joe Trohman?"

"Yeah."

"Then we will be having lunch together. Joe and I are in a band together. We always seem to have the same lunch period."

"So are you the bassist or the drummer? He said two of you were Seniors."

"Drummer. I'm happiest behind my drum kit. Pete is our bassist. Joe's a guitarist and Patrick is our singer and he plays guitar along with like every other instrument on the planet."

"I met a guy named Patrick today. He ran right into me. Literally."

Andy snickered. "Sounds like Patrick. He doesn't always pay attention to where he's going."

Ivey didn't have time to respond because the teacher started class. She and Andy got paired up for a big assignment due at the end of the semester. Before they knew it, the bell had rang and they were off to their next classes. Ivey strolled into Calculus and saw Joe sitting in the back of the room behind Patrick. She snagged the seat beside Patrick and turned to Joe.

"I met your drummer. He and I have History together."

"You had History with the Seniors?" Patrick asked.

"Told ya she was smart." Joe said smirking.

"And I told you that I'm good at History and English." Ivey retorted.

"Well sooooory! I was only singing your praises to Patrick. Have you met Patrick?"

"She's the one I knocked into earlier. Sorry again about that."

"It's fine. It was my lifelong dream to be knocked on my ass by a guy in glasses."

Joe threw his head back and laughed. "She's funny. I can't wait until she meets Pete."

Patrick and Ivey just rolled her eyes. Maybe this move wasn't such a bad thing.


	2. The Day We Met Part 2

Once Calculus was over, Joe, Patrick and Andy all met by Ivey's locker to let her put away her books. The quartet headed across the campus to the cafeteria. They three boys chatted animatedly about the first half of their first day. Andy lamented that they never had vegan options for lunch. Joe rolled his eyes and joked about eating anything and everything he could get his hands on. Patrick hung back a bit so he could talk to Ivey more. To be totally honest, he kind of had a crush on her already. She was beautiful. She had short black hair, hazel eyes and pale skin. She was a bit on the chunky side, but Patrick still thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.

"So Ivey, how has your first day been so far?" He asked quietly.

"Not too bad. I miss my old school, my friends and my boyfriend, but I've met you guys and you all seem really great."

Patrick was crestfallen when she mentioned that she had a boyfriend. Of course she had a boyfriend. She was smart, funny and beautiful. He snapped out of his thoughts when he realized that she had asked him a question.

"I'm sorry. What did you say Ivey?"

"I asked what classes you had for the rest of the day."

"Oh! Uh Music Appreciation with Joe, Biology with Pete, Gym ugh and Home Ec last period."

"Looks like we'll be spending our afternoons together. Same schedule for me."

"Cool. Maybe we can be partners in Home Ec. I'm terrible in that class."

"Well you're in luck because I'm great in Home Ec."

They continued talking as they stood in line at the cafeteria. Once they had gotten their lunch trays, the three boys led Ivey to a table occupied by a boy with tan skin and black hair.

"Hey bitches! Happy first day in Hell! Oh! Who's is this?"

"Pete this is Ivey. Ivey, Pete." Andy said.

Pete looked at Ivey for a long minute. "Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III, and it is a pleasure to meet such a beautiful creature such as yourself."

Ivey inwardly gagged. "Is he always this sickening?" She asked the others. They all smirked as Pete frowned.

"Only when he's around pretty girls." Patrick said smiling.

"Hey! A chick not blinded by the Wentz charm! It's a momentous occasion!" Joe joked loudly.

They continue to joke an talk through lunch. Soon enough, they were all finished eating and they parted ways to their afternoon classes. Andy and Pete headed to Trigonometry while Joe, Patrick and Ivey went to Music Appreciation. The trio sat together like they did in Calculus. Joe and Patrick explained to Ivey that the teacher would assign groups for a big project at the end of the semester. She was worried because she really didn't know how to play an instrument. She could sing, but they didn't know that. They assured her that they would figure something out.

After class, Patrick and Ivey said their goodbyes to Joe and headed to Biology. Pete was already at a lab table waiting on them. "Well hello pretty lady." Pete cooed at Ivey.

"What the fuck am I chopped liver?" Patrick asked slightly amused.

"I see you all the time. I don't see beautiful creatures like Ivey all the time."

She rolled her eyes and sat next to Patrick across from Pete at the lab table.

"What no witty retort?" Pete asked.

"Not really. I was trying to decide if I should gag out loud or just in my head."

Patrick laughed as Pete frowned again. "You must have a boyfriend."

"So just because I don't fall all over you I have a boyfriend? You're so full of yourself, but yes I do. Matt is still back in Oklahoma. My parents don't know about him. They're super strict. They won't even let me get my ears pierced."

"Wow."

"Her dad is the new minister at the Methodist church." Patrick told Pete.

"I see. That sucks about them being so strict. Hey! Do you think that they'd let you come to one of our band practices sometime?"

"Highly doubtful. They didn't look too happy that Patrick lived across from us, so I doubt that four teenage boys would be high on their like list."

"Good point. Oh well. Maybe someday."

They turned their attention to the teacher who informed them that they would be dissecting a frog in a little over a month. Ivey paled.

"Are you okay?" Patrick asked concerned.

"I-I-I can't cut up a frog. I just can't do it!"

"Ivey, calm down. I'll do most of the work on it. Patrick doesn't like that shit either. He's a Taoist."

"Thanks Pete. You're not such a bad guy when you're not being a creep."

"Awwww shucks."

"Asshole."

"That's not nice Rick."

Finally Biology was over and Patrick walked Ivey to their next class. They were both dreading it. Ivey hated gym. It wasn't the exercise that bothered her. She was just very uncoordinated. She stepped out of the dressing room and ran headlong into Patrick. Both parties fell on their butts for the second time that day.

"We've gotta stop meeting like this Ivey." He chuckled.

"Don't I know it? My ass can't take much more of this." She laughed.

He helped her off the floor and they went in to face their fate. Gym wound up not being that bad. They played dodge ball, so they didn't feel so bad when they fell down because everyone else was falling too. They met up outside the gym and walked to their last class of the day: Home Ec.

Patrick and Ivey sat down at a table together and looked at their copy of the syllabus. Patrick paled when he read farther down and saw that they would be having a unit on childcare. He remembered what last year was like with Andy and Pete bringing two lifelike dolls to practice everyday. He could only hope to be paired up with Ivey.

When the teacher finally started class, he moved a few students around and informed everyone that the person they sat with at their table would be their permanent partner for the rest of the year. Patrick heaved a sigh of relief when he realized that Ivey was his partner for the year. She smiled and nudged him. "You're going to ace this class kid."

"Who you calling kid? You're the same age as me."

"It was an expression smart ass."

He stuck his tongue out at her. They had the rest of the period to discuss their first week of assignments. Finally the bell rang and they left class together.

"Do you need a ride home?"

"That would be great. I walked to school this morning."

"Cool. Let me get my books."

They exited the school and got into Patrick's car. They spoke with ease to each other the entire way home. He pulled into his driveway and Ivey thanked him for the ride, unaware that someone was watching them from her house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooooh who's watching them? Thank you for reading this so far. I have several chapters written in my notebook, I just have to type them. Hopefully I'll update again in a few hours. Hope you enjoy the story!


	3. What Happens at Home Doesn't Always Stay There

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a slight trigger warning. If you or anyone you know is being abused, please help them. There is always a way out.

Ivey left her house early for school the next day. She was three blocks away from home when Patrick pulled up beside her and honked the horn. "Need a ride new girl?"

Ivey smiled and nodded. "I'm not supposed to get into cars with strangers, but I'll take my chances with you."

He chuckled as they drove off. The drive was mostly silent except for the sounds of David Bowie coming from the CD player. Ivey softly sang along and Patrick was in awe. She had a beautiful voice. He started to harmonize with her. They finished the song just as they pulled into the school's parking lot. He parked the car next to Joe's truck and they got out. Joe, Andy and Pete were standing around talking and waiting for the first bell to ring.

"Morning beautiful lady." Pete cooed.

"Your sweetness is sickening Wentz." She retorted.

"You love it." He said as he put his arms around her shoulders. She inadvertently jerked away from him. He had hit a tender spot on her arm. They all looked at her with questioning eyes.

"Sorry Ivey. I didn't realize there was a no touching rule." Pete apologized as he took a step back from her.

"It's not that, I just uh fell in the shower today. My arm is still a little tender."

He smiled. "Oh. Well I'll just be gentler next time I hug you."

The conversation resumed, but Andy kept his eyes on Ivey. Something about her story didn't add up. The bell rang and the quintet broke away to start the day. Ivey and Joe headed to English class while Andy, Patrick and Pete went to study hall. Andy kept thinking about Ivey's strange reaction to Pete hugging her earlier. "Hey. Do you guys think that Ivey lied to us?"

"About what?" Pete questioned.

"About falling in the shower. I saw a moment of fear in her eyes when she was telling us that story."

"Maybe she just doesn't want us to think she's dumb for falling."

"If that were the case, then she wouldn't make jokes about you and her running into each other Patrick."

"True, but well fuck. I don't know. What do you think she's hiding?" Patrick asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

Joe and Ivey sat down in their chairs and she handed him a pencil almost immediately.

"How'd you know I needed that?"

"Just a lucky guess." She smirked.

The teacher started class and informed everyone that they would be pairing up for an oral report due in two weeks. Ivey and Joe looked at each other and grinned. They knew who their partners were.

After study hall, Andy paced in front of Ivey's locker nervously. He had to figure out how to get her to talk to him and tell him the truth. The only problem was if he pushed too hard, she would clam up and not even talk to him. He saw her heading toward him smiling.

"Hey stranger! You gonna walk me to class?"

"I thought I would. I wanted to talk to you before class if that's okay."

"Sure. Whatcha want to talk about?"

"I wanted to ask you why you lied to us this morning about falling in the shower."

Her movements faltered but she quickly recovered. "I don't know what you're talking about. I fell. End of story."

"You and I both know that's bullshit Ivey. What's really going on? I'm your friend. You can tell me."

"No I can't Andy."

He pulled her aside so no one could hear them. "Which one of them hits you?"

She looked at her feet. "What makes you think that I'm being abused?"

Andy sighed in frustration. "I'll be right back." He walked into class long enough to get both he and Ivey excused to work on their project. He came back out and took her by the hand, leading her outside to a set of benches. "Sit and tell me the truth. Who hits you?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "My-my mom. She has a problem. She was in a car accident about five years ago and she had to be prescribed narcotic pain killers. She got addicted to them. She developed a drinking problem along with her pill addiction and she just snapped on me one day when I brought it up to her. I was trying to help her. I was just 11, but I didn't like seeing her like that." She started sobbing and Andy wrapped his arms around her, rubbing circles on her back.

"Have you spoken to your dad about this?"

"Of course I have. She's got him convinced that I'm lying. He keeps telling me that she's a 'good Christian woman' and that I shouldn't lie about her."

"Ivey, you need to talk to someone. Like the school counselor or CPS even."

"NO! Andy, you have to promise that you won't say anything to anyone either!"

"I can't promise that. This is a big secret. One that could get you killed someday if you don't tell someone."

"I've only got to last for a couple more years."

"At least let me tell the guys Ivey."

"No! They'll start to treat me different. I just want to feel normal for a little while."

His mouth formed a tight line. "Fine. I won't say anything right now, but sooner or later you have to tell someone. This is big Ivey. I don't want you to be hurting. You talk to me anytime you need to. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks for listening Andy."

"You're welcome. We better get going. It's almost time for our next classes."

The next period passed in a blur. Soon enough lunch time was here and the quartet headed to the cafeteria, Patrick and Ivey trailing behind a whispering Joe and Andy. They had all sat down to eat when Joe tapped Ivey on the shoulder. "Hey! I thought of a great topic for our oral report in English."

"Oh yeah? What's your idea?"

"A look into the statistics of abuse in the home. Did you know that four out of five abusers are the victim's own parents?"

Ivey paled. She turned to Andy with tears welling up in her eyes. "You promised that you wouldn't tell them!" She got up quickly and ran out of the cafeteria leaving three confused boys to turn and look at Andy.

"Tell us what?" Joe asked genuinely confused.

"Come on. Let's go talk to her." Andy replied cryptically.

The four boys put away their lunch trays and headed out of the cafeteria to find Ivey. They found her at the benches that Andy took her to earlier. She had her head in her hands and was sobbing. They split up with Joe and Patrick sitting on either side of her while Pete and Andy kneeled in front of her. Patrick wrapped his arms around her and held her, rubbing circles on her back and whispered gentle reassurances to her until her sobbing had stopped. She hiccuped a few times and wiped her eyes as she pulled away from Patrick. Andy looked at her seriously. "Ivey, I swear I didn't say anything, but now you owe them an explanation."

She nodded and started to recount her story to the other three. Joe paled. "Ivey! I'm so sorry. I didn't know. We'll find another topic for our report. Have you talked to the counselor about this?"

"No and I don't want to. Please, just don't treat me any different. Any of you. I don't make friends easily. I couldn't bear if you acted strange around me."

Pete put his hand on her knee. "We're all here for you. If you need to talk, call any of us. Here." He handed her a sheet of notebook paper with all of their cell numbers on it.

"Thanks guys."

"We protect our own. You're just part of the family now. You're stuck with us." Patrick said grinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for getting so heavy this chapter. This will be the story arc for a little bit. I promise things will get better though. Thank you for reading!


	4. Plotting

The guys were all at Pete's house for rehearsal. It had been a month since Ivey had told them about her home life, and they had been trying to get her to tell the counselor about what was going on. They had made no progress, though. It seemed like she was determined to ride it out and protect her mother instead of protecting herself.

They had been trying to play the same song for over an hour, but none of them could think straight.

"Fuck this! We're not getting anywhere today. Let's just pack it up for the night." Joe said in exasperation.

"Joe's right. None of us can think about music while we're thinking about Ivey." Pete agreed.

"How are we going to get her to tell someone?" Patrick asked as he put his guitar away.

"Maybe we don't have to get her to tell anyone."

"What do you mean Andy?"

"I mean, what if someone made an anonymous report to the counselor. Hell, the report could be to CPS directly. I mean, she'd be pissed at us, but at least she'd be safe."

"I don't want her to be mad at me," Patrick said quietly.

"Only because you looooooooove her." Pete and Joe sang.

"Shut the fuck up! I do not!"

"Then why are you blushing Rick?"

"You're an asshole, Pete."

"Get used to it kid."

"Guys! Can we please get back on topic here?!" Andy yelled.

"I'm all for making a report to the counselor."

"Me too."

Patrick sighed. "I guess I'm in too. We can't let her stay there with that monster. One thing, though."

"What?" Joe asked.

"Where will they put her? I doubt she'll get treated much better in a group foster home."

Andy pursed his lips. "I'll talk to my mom and see if she will take her in. She's like a little sister to me anyway."

"So when are we going to talk to Mr. Allen?"

"Let's try to get her to talk to him again, and then if she won't go, we'll step in," Patrick said.

"You really don't want her mad do you?" Pete asked thoughtfully.

"No, I don't. I don't want her hurt either. I actually heard her get beat yesterday."

"Where was her dad?" Joe asked angrily.

"Apparently at the church preparing for this morning's sermon."

"Her mom is a monster," Pete said with venom.

They all nodded in agreement. With their plans laid, they boys all parted ways. Patrick got in his car and turned the radio up loud. He needed something to drown out the sounds of yesterday that kept playing themselves over and over in his head. When he pulled into his driveway, he looked up to Ivey's window sadly. He hated that she was trapped under the same roof as an abuser. He could almost see into her room from his. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He had to know that she was okay.

Ivey heard the David Bowie ringtone go off on her cell phone and she knew that Patrick was home from rehearsal. She looked out her window and saw him standing at his window looking at her. She grabbed her phone and looked at the message.

Rick <3: Are you okay Ivey?  
Ivey: I'm fine. A little upset, but fine.  
Rick <3: Did she hurt you again?  
Ivey: No. Matt and I broke up.  
Rick <3: I'm so sorry Ivey.  
Ivey: It's okay. The distance was just too much.  
Rick <3: I'm here if you need to talk.  
Ivey: Thanks. See you in the morning?  
Rick <3: Like always.  
Ivey: Great! Nite Rick. ;)  
Rick <3: Nite nite Ivey. Sweet dreams. :P

Ivey laid down on her bed and smiled. Patrick really was amazing. He cared so much about her. Of course, all of the guys did, but the way he cared was different. Maybe he liked her. That was impossible. 'Stop being so overdramatic Ivey'. She knew that he couldn't feel the same way about her as she did about him. That's why her split with Matt wasn't such a big deal to her. She was falling for Patrick and this time it wasn't so literal.

Andy had just finished making dinner when his mom came through the door. "Mmmmm something smells great." She said toeing off her shoes at the door.

"I made vegan spaghetti. I need to talk to you if you have a few minutes." He said as he sat a plate of food in front of her and sitting down.

"I'm listening."

"I have this friend."

"Is it one of the boys?" She asked concerned.

"No mom. Everything's great with them."

"Okay. Just checking."

"I have this friend, and they're being abused. The major problem with telling anyone though is that they have no family here. All of their family lives down South. The guys and I don't want them to have to start over again and especially in a group foster home. So I was wondering if maybe we could take them in."

"I'm assuming that you're talking about Ivey."

Andy hung his head and nodded. "How did you know that I was talking about her?"

"Andrew, I'm your mother. I know you better than anyone else. Not to mention, she's the only one of your friends who's family doesn't live around here. Now, why do you think she's being abused?"

"She shows some of the classic signs. She flinched away from a hug, she had true fear in her eyes when she lied about why she was sore. She said she fell down. I had to practically drag the truth out of her. The guys and I are going to talk to the counselor at school if we can't get her to tell him."

"Sounds like she's scared Andy. I'm assuming the abuser is one of her parents?"

"Her mother."

"Doesn't surprise me. There's something shifty about that woman. If you go through with this report, I'll do everything in my power to make sure that she comes here and doesn't have to be in a group home."

"Thanks, mom. I'm going to go finish my homework. I'll do the dishes in the morning before I go to school."

"Okay, hon. Dinner was delicious. I'm going to take a bath. I have a double shift at work tomorrow, so I'll be late for dinner."

"Okay. Thanks for the talk mom. I love you."

"I love you too Andy. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Andy thought about what his mother had said and it put his mind at ease. He texted the guys when he got into his room. They all knew that they had to get Ivey to talk to Mr. Allen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three updates in one day! Look at me go! Thank you for sticking around and reading this. I hope that you will stay around, because things will get more interesting.


	5. Some Days are Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight trigger warning for the beginning of this chapter. If you are sensitive to abuse scenes, please feel free to skip this chapter.

Ivey laid in bed debating with herself about whether she was going to go to school or not. She really didn't feel like going and facing the guys today. They had really been on her case abut talking to Mr. Allen the guidance counselor, but she truly didn't want to. She just had to hold out a little while longer and then she'd be free. Surely she could handle a job and college courses at the same time, right? Rent would be the biggest expense for her, but she thought that she could handle it. She finally decided against going to school. She just couldn't muster up the energy to deal with school and the guys today.

Patrick sat in his car waiting on Ivey. She had never been late before. Maybe she had gone ahead and walked this morning. He sighed and drove on to school. He parked next to Andy and got out, hoping to see Ivey with them.

"Yo, Rick! Ivey didn't ride in with you today?"

"She wasn't waiting for me like usual Pete. You guys don't think something happened to her do you?"

"She would've texted one of us surely if that were the case."

"But what if she couldn't Andy? What if her mom took her phone and won't let her leave the house or contact anyone?"

He was starting to hyperventilate. Shit. He was having a panic attack.

"Patrick. Patrick! Calm down! Look." Joe said pointing behind him.

Patrick turned around and almost immediately the tightening in his chest eased. There she was. He frowned and ran to her. "Ivey! What happened? You weren't waiting for me!"

"I wasn't going to come to school today, but mom started in on me and school was the lesser of two evils today." She said half-heartedly.

Patrick hugged her and felt her stiffen. "Ivey, what's wrong?"

"I'm sore. She got physical among other things." She murmured into his chest.

The guys talked to her for the next 15 minutes about her telling the counselor about her mom. She had heard it for the last month, so she kind of tuned them out. She started to think about what had just happened at home.

She had just gotten out of bed and was headed to the kitchen to get a bowl of cereal. She didn't hear her mother come up behind her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I don't feel well today, so I was going to get a little breakfast and then lie down and rest today."

"Like your fat ass needs to eat anything. You need to go to school. We don't need anyone snooping around here for you having shitty attendance."

"Mom, I haven't missed a day of school so far. I'm just feeling under the weather. I'm gonna go lie back down."

"I said you're going to school!" With that statement, she slammed Ivey against the wall, her head snapping back hard. She'd have a knot there for sure. The next thing she knew, her arm was twisted behind her back and her mother had grabbed a handful of her hair.

"You're either going to school, or you get to spend the day in the closet."

Ivey knew what the closet meant. No food, no water, no light and no room to sit down. She really would feel like shit if she had to endure the closet. Her mom wouldn't even let her leave to use the bathroom. The last time she had gotten a bladder infection from holding it for so long.

"I'll-I'll go to school mom. Just please let me go."

She was rewarded with a sharp slap to the face. "Don't you tell me what to do! Why did I even have you? You're fucking worthless!" She finally let Ivey go and went back to her room. Ivey ran upstairs and got dressed as fast as she could.

"Ivey. Ivey! Are you okay?" Patrick asked concern rising in his eyes.

"I'm fine. Let me think for a bit guys. I'll decide by lunch. Okay?"

"Okay." They all answered.

The bell rang and the quintet split up like normal. Ivey liked walking with Joe. He asked precious few questions. She didn't feel the need for mindless chatter to fill the silence. They made it to class and sat in their normal seats. Ivey pulled out the pencil Joe had been using and handed it to him like she did every day. It had become their daily ritual. It was soothing.

Class started and Joe looked over at Ivey. She was writing quietly and furiously in her creative writing journal. He peaked over her arm and read what she had gotten down so far. It was really good. It would make a great song that's for sure.

The hours drug along until finally it was lunch time. Ivey tried to hide from the guys so she wouldn't have to give them a decision. Patrick and Joe, however, had much different plans. They knew that she would try to get out of talking to Mr. Allen. This was her last chance to tell him herself. If she refused again, the boys were going to take matters into their own hands. Ivey took the chance to disappear when she noticed Joe and Patrick turned away from her. She ran in the direction of the girl's bathroom. The boys noticed just as she got to the door.

"Ivey! You can't lock yourself away! Please!" Patrick begged.

"Leave me alone! Please don't ask me to talk to Mr. Allen again!"

"Ivey, you can't keep this all bottled up. You need to tell someone who can get someone into that house and help you." Joe countered.

She emerged from the bathroom, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I wish you guys would understand why I can't."

"Then maybe you can explain it to all of us at lunch."

Ivey nodded and hung her head as the two boys led her to the cafeteria. Pete and Andy were already at their table when the trio arrived. Ivey sat her lunch tray down and started to pick at her food. Everyone noticed that she wasn't eating.

"Ivey, will you please explain why we can't convince you to talk to the counselor?" Patrick pleaded.

"I-I just can't. Please don't make me. I just want you guys to forget about all of this. Go back to treating me like you did before you all found out about my home life. You guys are the only close friends I have and I can't bear to have you guys treat me like I'm a china doll. I just want you to stop walking on eggshells around me."

The four boys looked at her sadly. She had just poured her heart out to them. They all nodded in agreement. She didn't have to know that they were going to talk to Mr. Allen themselves. Something had to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always for reading this. If you like it, please feel free to comment or bookmark the story to show your encouragement.


	6. Bold Moves

The guys were all at Patrick's house for rehearsal. They had gotten nowhere with Ivey, and it was driving them all crazy. They knew that they had to make the anonymous report. Even if it pissed Ivey off. Patrick was the most scared of making her mad. He really did care for her. Well, every one of the guys did, but not like Patrick did. He really was falling in love with her.

"Trick. Patrick! Anyone home? You spaced out mid-song."

"Sorry, Andy. I just keep thinking about Ivey."

"We're going to talk to the counselor soon. We're going to get her some help." Pete said.

"I know. I just can't stand to have her in such a bad place. I-I'm in love with her guys."

"We know Rick. You need to tell her that, though."

"I know Joe. I'm just... I don't want to scare her away."

"If you knocking her on her ass constantly hasn't scared her away, I highly doubt that a declaration of love will," Andy said placing a hand on Patrick's shoulder.

"What if she rejects me? What if it ruins our friendship? What if-"

"What if the sun explodes and kills us all? What if the underpants gnomes come and take your Batman boxers? Dude just tell her!" Pete said smirking.

Patrick blushed. Luckily his phone went off in his pocket, relieving him from more humiliation. "Hello?"

"Hey, Rick. Can I come over for a bit?"

"Sure. The guys are here though."

"That's fine. I just have to get out of this house."

"Okay. See you in a few."

"Bye."

"Guys, Ivey will be here in a few minutes." He said turning back to them.

"Should we leave so you can have some alone time with her?"

"No. I think she might need all of us right now Joe."

"Good. I wasn't planning on leaving anyway." Pete said grinning.

Patrick rolled his eyes as Ivey came into the basement. She looked like shit honestly. She hadn't been eating again. Her loose-fitting clothing told that tale. Her face was swollen. It seemed that her mother no longer cared if the bruises were visible.

"Hey, guys. How's rehearsal going?" She said as she sat down on Joe's amp.

"Good. We were just about to break it up for the night." Andy said standing up.

"Oh! Don't stop on my account. I just needed to get out of the house for a bit."

"You sure?"

Ivey smiled at Patrick. "Of course I'm sure. I mean Pete did extend an invitation for me to come watch you guys practice."

"See! I knew she'd remember!"

"Pete, calm the fuck down," Andy said sternly.

Ivey giggled as she moved to the worn sofa across from the four boys. They practiced for another half an hour with Ivey applauding after every song. They started packing their things up and Ivey pulled Patrick aside. "Hey, do you mind if I stay a bit longer? I told my dad that I had a ton of homework and that I have classes with all of you guys."

"Sure Ivey. I don't mind."

"Can Andy stay? He's the only one of you guys that my dad trusts."

"I'll ask him. Why don't you go upstairs for a few minutes while I talk to them?"

"Sure. Thanks, Rick."

He leaned over and gently kissed her swollen cheek. "You're welcome Ivey."

She blushed and went back upstairs where Patrick heard his mother fuss over her. Pete whistled and Joe winked at him.

"Nice going Cassanova."

"Shut it you pricks. Andy, I need you to stay for a bit if you can. Ivey wants to hang out for a little while and for some reason you're the only one her dad trusts."

"Could be because I took the time to introduce myself to him after church a month ago."

"Why exactly did an atheist go to church?" Joe questioned.

"I wanted to see what kind of man lets his daughter get slapped around."

"And?" Pete asked.

"And I think he's genuinely clueless. He seems to be a good guy, just not super observant. I think his wife manipulates him. She's fake as hell and he can't see it."

"So what do we do now?"

"We still have to tell someone about the abuse. I don't care if he is a nice man. If he's ignoring Ivey's repeated attempts to tell him, then he's just as bad as she is."

The three other boys nodded somberly. Soon enough, Pete and Joe said their goodbyes and left for their own homes. Andy, Ivey and Patrick went upstairs to Patrick's room and pulled out what little homework they had left to finish. They joked around, so the process was much quicker for them.

"So. You guys feel up to watching a movie?" Patrick asked.

"Sure. How about we let Ivey pick?"

"I uh. Sure. I don't get to watch too many movies though. I wouldn't know where to start."

Patrick smiled and led Ivey to his DVD collection. "Pick whatever jumps out at you."

She searched the two shelves until she found a title that she liked the sound of and grabbed the case. "How about this one?" She asked, her eyes lit up like Christmas lights.

Patrick smiled so big he thought his face would crack. Andy on the other hand just rolled his eyes and groaned playfully. She had picked Ghostbusters. One of Patrick's favorite movies and one Andy had seen a dozen times because of that fact. Ivey noticed both boys' reactions and chuckled. "I take it Andy's seen this a lot? So that must mean it's one of your favorites huh Patrick?"

"You got that right." He said smiling.

He took the movie from her hands and put it in the player. All three of them piled onto Patrick's bed and got comfortable. The movie started and Ivey heard Patrick mouthing every word. She smiled as she listened to him. It was nice to be here with him and Andy. Of course, she liked hanging out with Pete and Joe too, but something about Andy and Patrick made her feel more comfortable. She didn't feel the need to be on guard with them as much. She was so caught up in the movie that she hadn't noticed that Patrick had put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. When she did finally notice, she leaned into him and laid her head on his shoulder. She could get used to this.

Once the movie ended, Ivey got up from the bed and stretched. Andy went to the bathroom and left the two alone together.

"Uh, Ivey. I need to uh tell you something."

"Yes?"

"Well. I uh. I-"

"Patrick. I like you." She blurted out.

He looked relieved. "That's what I was going to tell you. I really, really like you."

She smiled and stood up tall and quickly kissed him on the lips. She then turned and left. Andy left not long after that. Patrick got a text from Ivey later before he fell asleep. He dreamt of her that night and woke up smiling the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two days in a row with the updates! I'm trying to catch up on typing my chapters and posting them. I've gotten all the way up to chapter 12 in my notebook, so I'm 6 chapters behind on my computer. I'll try to update again in a little while. As always thank you to everyone reading this. Don't forget to bookmark or comment on this story to let me know that you're still enjoying it.


	7. Actions Have Consequences

It had been two weeks and Patrick and Ivey were inseparable. They had started to spend all of their spare time together. She never missed one of the bands' rehearsals, he picked her up every morning for school; hell he had even started to go to church with her family. Her father had warmed up to him, but her mother still hated him. All of the guys had become even more protective of Ivey. They hardly let her out of their sight. She had also found out about their little "anonymous tip" plan and had put a stop to it, or so she had thought.

Andy had gotten to school earlier than everyone else. Joe and Pete were supposed to be there anytime now, while Patrick was tasked with stalling Ivey this morning. Today was the day that they were going to talk to Mr. Allen. Andy saw Pete and Joe pull into the parking lot quickly and jump out of their vehicles. The three boys were determined to get her out of that hell house. They were standing outside the door or Mr. Allen's office. Andy took a deep breath and knocked. They heard a bit of rustling and Mr. Allen opened the door and smiled at them.

"Can I help you, boys?"

"We would like to make a report about one of our friends being physically abused," Andy said with confidence.

"Come inside boys. Now you know that this is a serious accusation to be making."

"Yes, sir. We know that. We also know that our friend has the bruises to back it up." Joe said.

"Is it Patrick?"

"No, sir. He's just clumsy. It's his girlfriend Ivey Adams." Pete said.

He quirked an eyebrow at the boys. "Martin Adams' daughter?"

"Yes, sir. It's her mother that's abusive, but if you ask me, her father is just as responsible since he ignores Ivey every time she's tried to tell him." Andy said, venom rising in his voice.

Mr. Allen nodded. "I'm guessing that you want this to be anonymous?"

"Yes, sir. She's trying to keep us from saying anything. She is afraid that something worse will happen to her."

"Well Mr. Wentz, it sounds like it's very bad at home for her. I'll forward this to CPS. She'll have to consent to a physical exam of course."

"I can call my mother, Mr. Allen. She's done physical exams for CPS before."

"That works Mr. Hurley. I'll call them during first period today."

"Thank you, Mr. Allen."

The boy left the office and returned to the parking lot to meet up with Ivey and Patrick. They pulled up two minutes later. Patrick jumped out of the car and ran to open the passenger door. Ivey laughed. "Rick, I can open my own door."

"Not in my car sugar." He smiled and pulled her into his arms.

Joe and Pete wolf-whistled at the two as they kissed sweetly. Patrick shot them a death glare, which was about as deadly looking as a baby chicken. They all laughed as they parted ways to go to class. Joe looked at Ivey as they walked to English class. "Hey Ives, I saw your creative writing journal the other week and I had an idea."

She looked a little shocked. "What did you see?"

"Something called Half-Jack. It was fantastic Ivey. I could be a great song honestly."

"Is that your idea? Making it a song?"

"I thought Patrick and I could write music to go with it and we could use it for our Music Appreciation project. If that's okay with you of course."

"Let me think about it for a bit Joe."

"Cool. No rush. Hey, can I borrow a pencil?"

Patrick, Andy, and Pete were all sitting together during study hall as per usual. Pete, however, was not paying much attention. His eyes were focused on a girl with short, curly hair. He kept trying to flirt with her, but she kept looking away from him. He felt a slap to the back of his head.

"Can you not slap me, Hurley? That fucking hurt!"

"Can you keep your dick in your pants long enough to finish up our assignment? I've got my half finished. I finished it yesterday and tomorrow is the deadline for it!"

"Sorry. She's cute. I'm gonna ask her to the Winter Formal."

"That's all fine and dandy, but if you don't get your head on straight, you're going to fail the class and not have enough credits to graduate."

"Okay! Okay! Chill out Hurley. Yo Trick! Are you okay man?"

"Yeah. Just worried about what you told Mr. Allen earlier."

"Everything's going to be fine. Be calm man."

"I'm trying Pete."

Ivey had been thinking about what Joe had said. She had tons of poems that she had written that apparently would be great as songs. She had spaced out during History and it made Andy nervous. He never knew what she was thinking. She seemed happy today, though. She jumped up as soon as the bell rang and threw a promise over her shoulder to him that she would see him at lunch. Racing to Calculus, she took her seat next to Patrick and smiled at him.

"I missed you." He cooed.

"I missed you more." She sang sweetly.

"You two are making me sick."

"Shut up Joe." They both muttered.

Class started and was half-way over when there was a knock at the door.

"Excuse me Mrs. Hobart, but we need Ivey Adams to come with us please."

Ivey paled and looked at Joe and Patrick. Neither boy would meet her gaze. She knew that they had found a way to say something without her knowing. She grabbed her things quickly and left the room without saying a word. Patrick dropped his head to his desk and groaned. Joe tried to comfort him, but he knew that Ivey was pissed. After class, he desperately tried to find her, but when he did, she wouldn't talk to him. She blew past him in the hall as he ran after her.

"Ivey! Please! Wait up!"

She rounded on him, her eyes aflame. "How dare you guys talk to Mr. Allen! CPS is at my house right now! Do you guys realize what you've done? I'm going to get sent away now! I'll have to move away from all of you! So thanks for ruining my life!"

She stormed away from him. His face crumbled when he got into the cafeteria and saw that she had sat as far away from their usual table as she could. When he sat down, none of the guys would look up from their lunch trays.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Ivey refused to talk to any of them. Hopefully, they could get her to understand that it had been for the best. When Patrick got home that afternoon, he saw that the people from CPS were still at Ivey's house. He just hoped that everything would work out for the best. He couldn't lose Ivey. She was everything to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for continuing to read this story. I think I have most of it planned out, but it'll take a little bit to get it all written. Just as a small note, the short, curly-haired girl is one of my co-workers. She loves when we work together on Saturdays because I read these stories to her. She requested to be with Pete, and so I made her wish come true. :D


	8. A New Life

It was 9 at night when Ivey was escorted out of her house with her bag filled with some clothes and her school books. She was crying because she didn't know where she was going. The car pulled away and she stared at Patrick's house. He was looking out his window at her sadly. She felt bad about how she treated him earlier, so she pulled out her phone and shot him a quick text.

Ivey: I'm sorry about earlier Rick.  
Rick<3: No. Don't be sorry Ivey. I went along with their plan.  
Ivey: I shouldn't have acted like I did.  
Rick<3: We are all just trying to protect you sugar.  
Ivey: I know. I'm going to miss you. I don't know where I'm going.  
Rick<3: Hopefully close enough that we'll still see each other.  
Ivey: I hope so. I really don't want to miss the Winter Formal.  
Rick<3: I don't care if I have to drive across the state for you. I promise  
you won't miss it.  
Ivey: You're the best. I've gotta go Rick. i think we're here.  
Rick<3: Okay. I miss you sugar.  
Ivey: I miss you too Rick. :*

Ivey looked up and saw a familiar house. Andy and his mother came outside and spoke with the social workers that had taken Ivey. Andy looked at Ivey through the window and smiled. He came over and opened the door, helping her with her bags. His mother finished up her conversation with CPS and smiled at Ivey s Andy and she entered the house.

"Well Ivey, as you know, I'm Andrew's mother. You can call me Ann if you would like. Your room is next to Andy's. Tomorrow, after school, I'll be taking you to the hospital with me and we'll be doing a physical examination on you. I need to properly document any and all bruises that you have. Are you hungry dear? Andy made some delicious soup."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm famished. Thank you."

"Mom, I'm going to take her upstairs and get her settled in."

"That sounds good. Then you two can come down and eat a bit. Is that okay with you Ivey?"

"That's great. Thank you so much for taking me in Mrs. Hurley."

"You're very welcome and please call me Ann."

"Yes, ma'am. I mean Ann."

Andy grabbed Ivey's bags again and headed up the stairs with her in his wake. He came to the room that she would be staying in and opened the door. He flipped on the lights and let Ivey enter the room first.

"I hope you don't hate us Ivey. We were only trying to help."

"I'm not mad Andy. I was scared. How long had you guys planned this?"

"Since the day we all found out about your home life. We couldn't just stand around and let you be abused."

"So you told your mom about my situation?"

"I wanted to be sure that you wouldn't have to move away again. I'm sorry we were so deceptive about all of this Ivey."

"It's okay. Can I ask a question, though?"

"You just did."

"Smart ass. Is this permanent? Me living here?"

"I think there is a good chance of that. Are you okay with that?"

"I think I can deal with you being my big brother." She said smiling.

"Good. Because you're stuck with me."

The next day Ivey rode in with Andy. Patrick, Joe, and Pete were already there and waiting. As soon as she was out of the car, Patrick wrapped her in a big bear hug. The three other boys joined in and Ivey started crying. They all pulled away, worried that they had hurt her. Patrick wiped her tears.

"Are you okay sugar?"

"I'm fine. I'm just so grateful for you guys."

"We told you before, you're stuck with us," Pete said smiling.

She laughed at his tone as the first bell rang. She said her goodbyes to Patrick, Andy and Pete as she and Joe headed off to English. They sat down and looked at each other with a grin.

"Hey, Joe. Can I borrow a pencil?"

The day went on and Iver felt a sense of relief knowing that she didn't have to go home to that terror of a mother. She was a little nervous about the physical exam that she was going to be undergoing, but Ann assured her over breakfast that she was going to be performing it. Ivey was happy that they guys would be over for rehearsal tonight. She'd get to spend more time with them now. That made her happy. They had promised to take her to the mall over the weekend and let her get some new clothes and even pay to get her ears pierced.

Later that day, she sat in the car with Ann as they made their way to the hospital. She started to shake as they entered the building and went into an examination room. Ann directed Ivey to disrobe and get into a hospital gown. After she came back into the room, Ann gently asked Ivey to show her where she was bruised. Ivey took off the gown, leaving her in her underwear, letting Ann take the needed photos of her injuries. She made it a point to show her the ones that were hidden in her hairline as well.

After the exam, Ivey put her clothes back on and they headed back home. When they got there, the guys drug her down into the basement for rehearsal. Patrick convinced her to sing one of their songs with him. The guys were impressed. She had a great voice. After rehearsal, everyone went upstairs to have dinner. Ivey had never felt so accepted in her life. She looked around the table at the smiling faces all around her and knew that she had found a real family.

Later that night, before she went to bed, she knocked on Andy's door.

"Come in."

"Hey, stranger."

"Hey, Ivey. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's great. I just wanted to thank you again. For everything. I'd probably be dead soon without you guys."

"Don't talk like that. Your mother is sick. I in no way condone what she has done, but surely somewhere inside she loves you."

"If she does, she has a really shitty way of showing it."

"I'm just glad we got you out of there."

"Andy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're so stubborn."

"Me too, and so are you."

"Andy?"

"Yes, Ivey?"

"Thanks again. You're like the big brother I never had."

"I think of you as a little sister, so we're even."

She smiled and hugged him tightly before leaving his room and going to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in one day! I was bored at work, so I typed both of them up from my notebook tonight. I'm hoping to get caught up from what I have written in my notebook this weekend. I'll update sooner if I get some likes and reads. ;) No pressure. LOL! Enjoy this chapter and as always, thank you so much for reading!


	9. Preparation is Key

It was one week before the Winter Formal and Ivey was getting nervous. She was nowhere near ready for it. She had no dress, shoes or accessories. Andy had promised that he would help, but his classwork had started to take up all of his time. Ivey understood, though. She knew he wanted to get into the University of Chicago next year. He was brilliant, so she had total faith in him. She lay in bed hoping that he would get finished with his homework before the mall closed. She heard her phone going off and looked at the screen before she answered it.

"Hello, Pete."

"Hey, Roxy!"

"Not that I'm complaining, but why are you calling me?"

"I have a proposition for you."

"I'm not giving you my virginity Pete."

"You make one off-color joke and it never leaves you!"

She chuckled. "Most likely."

"My date for the dance has yet to go shopping and she wanted to know if you wanted to go with her today."

"That sounds great! Let me go talk to mom and see if it's okay for me to go."

"Great! Text me when you find out."

"Will do. See ya Pete!"

"Later."

Ivey happily skipped into the living room to speak to Ann. "Hey, mom?"

"Yes, Ivey?"

"Pete's date Britnie needs to go shopping still, and she was wondering if I could go with her since I haven't been able to go yet myself. I figured since Andy has been so busy, you wouldn't mind if I went with her."

"You would be correct. Have you finished your homework?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay. Here, take my credit card. You have a $500 limit."

Ivey's eyes lit up. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" She hugged Ann tightly. "I'm going to go text Pete!"

"Just make sure you let me see what you buy when you get home."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Ivey ran up to her room and texted Pete. His reply came within a minute letting her know that Britnie was on her way. As Ivey ran out the door, Andy yelled to her from his window. "Told ya I'd find a way to help you out!"

"Thanks, AJ!"

Once the girls were at the mall, they immediately went to the first dress shop that they found. Britnie chattered on and on to Ivey about everything. She divulged that she and Pete had been in this loop of flirting, but never going anywhere for years. She had been crushing on him since elementary school but had recently stepped up her efforts in the flirting department. Pete was about to graduate, and Britnie knew she needed to get off her ass and make something happen. Ivey enjoyed talking to the shorter girl. It was nice to talk to someone who didn't have a penis. Ivey was about to say something when she heard a shriek from one rack away.

"Oh. My. God. Ivey, I think I've found my dress!"

"Go try it on!"

"Be right back."

A few moments later, Ivey watched as Britnie twirled out of the dressing room happy as a clam. She assured the girl that the dress was absolutely perfect. It was a little longer than knee length on her, pale pink with a sweetheart neckline and a bust that was covered in crystals. Britnie twirled again and the full tulle skirt swayed around her.

"That's the one Brit. You have to get it."

"Do you think Pete will like it?"

"I think he won't be able to take his eyes off of you."

"Yay! Let me change and I'll help you find a dress."

Ivey smiled and shook her head as she went to the plus sized racks to scrounge for a dress. She was absent-mindedly browsing the racks when she saw it. The dress was beautiful. The top was black and covered in black crystals that trickled down into the white A-line skirt. Ivey snatched it quickly and ran past Britnie to the dressing rooms. The moment she put it on she knew it was the dress for her. She felt like a princess in it. She twirled in front of the mirror and then stepped out to show her new friend.

"Oh, Ivey! It's beautiful. Patrick's gonna love it!"

"Isn't it just divine?"

"You better buy it before anyone else wants it."

Ivey chuckled. "They'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands."

She went back into the dressing room and changed back into her clothes. She looked at the price tag and smiled wide. It was on sale for 50% off. The dress was only $100. She was determined to not use the entire budget that Ann gave her. The girls went to their next destination: the shoe store. Britnie almost immediately found the perfect pair of silver and pink heels that matched her dress perfectly. Ivey had a harder time trying to find nice shoes herself. It's hard to find heels shorter than 2 inches. She didn't want to be taller than Patrick. Finally, she settled on a pair of black satin flats.

The girls gave themselves a bit of rest time by going to the food court for a snack. They laughed and joked like they had been the best of friends their entire lives. Britnie peppered Ivey with questions about her and Patrick. The conversation got a little quiet when she asked about Ivey's home life. Most people knew, but Ivey still had a hard time talking about it. Especially since her court date was coming up in February. Ivey skirted around the topic a bit until Britnie decided that they needed to go get their accessories. Ivey breathed a small sigh of relief as they headed to a few stores and found jewelry, handbags, and shawls.

It wasn't until the ride home that the soul-crushing guilt overtook Ivey. She had spent so much money on trivial things. Ann was going to be so mad at her. Britnie didn't seem to notice the change in atmosphere in the car. She happily pulled into the driveway and said her goodbye to Ivey as she got her purchases. Ivey smiled and waved at the girl as she drove away.

As soon as she made it to the door, she tried to sneak past the living room but was met with the sight of Andy, Patrick and Ann sitting around and talking. Ann looked up and smiled. "Oh, Ivey. You're home! Let's go see what you got."

Ivey just nodded and followed Ann into her bedroom. She laid out her purchases and Ann fawned over everything.

"Hon, you are going to look so great. I'm just as excited as I was when I went to my Winter Formal with Andy's father. Ivey, what's wrong?"

"I swear I'll get a part-time job and pay you back for what I spent." The girl looked like she was about to cry.

Ann smiled. "Honey, you didn't even use half of the budget I gave you. There's no need to pay it back. Andy and I have been planning on letting you go wild for the dance preparation. I'm not mad."

"But I didn't actually need all this stuff."

"Well, no, but you're going to have a great time. You only have so many firsts left in your life. There's no sense in making yourself sick thinking about how you think you've wasted money on something. Money comes and goes, but experiences will last in your memory forever. Now, let's get downstairs before the boys start dinner without us."

Ivey nodded and followed Ann downstairs, still feeling guilty about spending so much money.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this turned out to be a filler chapter. I had to bring Britnie into the story a little better, besides I had to give you a mental image of the dresses. Thank you for reading the story! The next chapter is going to get awkward. Just a warning.


	10. First Times, Awkward Moments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a smut warning for this chapter. It's at the end. Heads up!

Ivey was running around her room frantically trying to finish getting ready for the night. It was the night of the Winter Formal and she was unbelievably anxious. Ann had taken her to get her hair and nails done earlier in the day. She had finally convinced Ivey that there was no need to pay her back for her small shopping spree. Ivey was still a bit unsure about being in a household where she didn't have to worry about every little dollar spent. It's not like her parents had been paupers, but they frowned on buying frivolous things. Well her father did. Her mother would stop at nothing to get her next fix. It was strange to be part of a family that actually cared about each other. Andy was always there for her when she was anxious, depressed, or had nightmares. Ann was a source of comfort to Ivey whenever she was feeling unsure about her actions or when she had her moments of low self-esteem. Her health had picked up drastically in the weeks since she had been taken in by the Hurleys. Andy was a great older brother and Ann was the sweetest woman that Ivey had ever known.

Ivey heard a car pull into the driveway and looked out her window to see Patrick's little car sitting there. She smiled wide and ran from the window to put the finishing touches on her appearance for the night. Andy had already left over an hour ago to pick up his date. They were both on the dance committee, so they had to be there early. She heard Ann call up to her and she took one last look into the mirror and headed downstairs. Patrick's eyes lit up as soon as she came down the landing. She looked breathtaking and Ann squealed excitedly and immediately started taking pictures of the smiling couple.

Once the formalities were out of the way, she sent the couple off reminding them both that Ivey's curfew was 2AM. They nodded and were out the door into the cold night. Patrick was a gentleman as always and opened Ivey's door, helping her into the car. The drive to the venue was quiet. The couples' hands were clasped together the entire time. When they reached the venue, he scrambled out of the car and helped her out as she blushed. They linked hands again and walked inside together. They were greeted at the inner door by Andy and his date Abbey.

"You look beautiful tonight little sis."

"You clean up pretty well yourself bro." She replied.

"Have a good time you two," Abbey said smiling.

Ivey and Patrick nodded and went inside. The venue was decorated beautifully. It was a clear winter theme, with white twinkle lights everywhere and white candles in frosted glasses on every table. The entire place looked like a winter wonderland. Soon enough, Ivey and Patrick found Pete and Britnie sitting at a table alongside Joe and his data Bethany. Pete and Britnie were locked in one hell of a kiss, while Joe and Bethany were in the midst of a heated discussion about guitar techniques. Patrick rolled his eyes at their friends and turned to Ivey. "Would you like to dance sugar?"

"I'd love to."

He took her hand and led her to the dancefloor, wrapping his arms around her waist while she laced her fingers behind his neck. They twirled around slowly, enjoying the feel of the other pressed against them. It was like everyone else didn't exist. They were just two young people in love. Of course, they had yet to say those three little words, but somehow they both just knew. The moment overtook Ivey and she pulled Patrick to her for a kiss. It was gentle and sweet but began to get heated all too soon. When they broke for air, he gave her a small, awkward smile which she returned. She pulled him in for another kiss and his hands tightened their grip around her waist. They were so wrapped up in each other that they hadn't even noticed that the song had changed to something very upbeat. They were pulled out of their moment when Pete and Britnie accidentally knocked into them.

"Sorry about that guys!" Britnie said as Pete pulled her back to him.

"It's okay," Patrick replied. He looked at Ivey and smiled, leading her back to their table. "Do you want something to drink sugar?"

"Sure, but I'd rather be alone with you." She said smirking slightly.

He turned a shade of red and went off to find the refreshments. When he came back, he sat a frosted glass in front of her and sat down beside her. They made small talk for a little bit until he felt Ivey's hand on his thigh. His eyes widened as she leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. "Would you like to go someplace quieter?"

"Ivey I don't uh want to push you into something that you're not ready for."

"Who's the one massaging who's thigh?" She smirked.

"Good point. Well, we better at least talk to our friends for a few more minutes before we cut out."

"That's fine. I just want to be alone with you for a bit."

He patted her hand and they continued to sit and talk with their friends for another half-hour or so. They finally said their goodbyes and got up to leave. They were almost to the outer doors when Andy stopped them and pulled Ivey aside. Patrick saw him whisper to her and slip something into her hand before smiling at the couple and walking back inside. He looked at Ivey with an unspoken question, but she gave him a look that said 'I'll explain later'. He nodded and led her out to his car.  
The drive to his house was filled with a strange tension. They both knew what they were going to do, and they were nervous. As he pulled the car into his driveway, she looked at him a bit confused.

"My mom and step-dad decided to spend the night in Chicago just the two of them."

"So you have the house all to yourself?"

"Pretty much."

He led her into the house and up to his bedroom. She took her shoes off and curled her toes into the soft carpet. He smiled as he watched her and took off his jacket and tie. "So what did Andy say to you before we left?"

She held up a small foil package and chuckled. "He told me to be safe." She laughed. "He's so damn observant."

"That he is," Patrick replied.

The mood lifted again and suddenly they were wrapped in each other's arms. They kissed nervously, but with a purpose. They both knew that they were ready, but that didn't stop the butterflies. She started to unbutton his shirt as he tried to unzip her dress. She laughed when they knocked heads and had to take a minute to calm down. He took a deep breath when she started to slide his pants off of him. They stood there looking at one another, clad in only their underwear. He led her to his bed and gently laid her down. They kissed again, running their hands all over each other's skin. He locked eyes with Ivey in a silent question. She nodded her head and he reached behind her to unlatch her bra. He tried to be smooth and kiss her as he did it, but try as he might, he couldn't get it to unhook. She chuckled as she reached behind herself and had taken it off in a matter of seconds. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but they continued on.

Finally, they were both naked and Patrick rolled the condom onto his erection. Ivey's eyes widened at the size of him. He was impossibly thick. He looked into her eyes and she nodded, beckoning him to push forward. He placed the tip at her entrance and slowly pushed into her. She winced in pain and he stopped, giving her time to adjust to his girth. She nodded again and he pushed in more until he was all the way into her. He gave her a moment to breathe before he slowly thrust into her. She didn't have time to get past the pain of it before it was over.

Patrick quickly rolled off of her, a look of shame in his eyes. "Ivey, I-"

"Don't worry about it Patrick. We were both nervous. The excitement overtook us."

"But Pete and Joe said their first time was amazing!" He wailed.

"Rick, honey, everyone is different. I'm not upset. I promise."

He seemed to calm down a bit and wrapped her in a hug and pulled her close to him. They cuddled until he had to take her home. The shame of the night, still weighing on his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the awkwardness of this chapter, but sex can't always be perfect. This is honestly the first time I've intentionally tried to write awkward smut. Thanks for the reads every one. I hope you're still enjoying the story.

**Author's Note:**

> Had the inspiration for this story and I just had to write it. The tags will possibly change with this as the story progresses. Thanks for reading my brain children all the time. :D


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